Mercedes Benz 300S

Mercedes Benz 300S

The 300S (Super) was unveiled to the public at the Paris Salon in October 1951, however manufacture would not begin until the following year.

Always intended as a car for the enthusiast, only 760 would be manufactured over a 7 year period, each designed to carry on the tradition twenty five years earlier with the K Model Mercedes 6 liter of 1927, and subsequent legendary models as the S and SS, and of course the 540K of 1936.

But the challenge for the designers was to come up with such a car, while using much of the existing mechanicals being manufactured by Mercedes at the time. So, with half the engine displacement and no supercharger, could the 300S ever hope to reach such giddy heights?

The answer was a resounding yes. So well sorted was the 300S that it was not only faster and more responsive, but it was far more comfortable and boasted creature comforts well beyond what a sports car of the day many thought should have.

To prove the point, Karl Kling set times at the Nürburgring bettering any other Mercedes to that time, the only exception being the SSK.

Making the best of what the 2996cc straight six had to offer meant feeding it adequate fuel, and so no less than three Solex 40 PBJC carburetors were fitted (these being replaced by a Bosch injection pump on the 300Sc).

There were two body styles on offer, the coupe and convertible coupe, and the roadster.

The interior was oppulant, all materials being of the finest quality then seen in an automobile. That of course meant leather, wood and chrome, and lots of it. The 300Sc model was built from September 1955 to April 1958 and, although similar in appearance, now boasted the fitment of a Bosch Injection pump feeding the engine, rather than the triple Solex carburetor setup.

Simply put, these were not just good automobiles, they were great. The 170 may have helped re-establish Mercedes as a manufacturer, but it was the 300S that re-established it as the world's best automotive marque.